


you are a party, and I am a school night

by mythic_bitch_0



Category: bare: A Pop Opera - Hartmere/Intrabartolo
Genre: Angst, Gen, I love Lucas so much, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22913629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythic_bitch_0/pseuds/mythic_bitch_0
Summary: How did Peter explain his sudden desire to change dorms to Lucas? How did Lucas react?This is an excerpt of the unofficial bare novelization which is a work in progress. Set directly after "Ever After".My general tumblr is @bluejaye91My bare-specific one (bare novelization updates here) is @ifprayerwastheanswer.TALK TO ME ABOUT BARE I AM DYING. ALSO MESSAGE ME IF YOURE INTERESTING IN HELPING WITH FEEDBACK ON THE NOVELIZATON
Relationships: Jason McConnell/Peter Simmonds
Comments: 3
Kudos: 68





	you are a party, and I am a school night

**Author's Note:**

> I fucking love Lucas and this is how he would react and I will die on this hill.

-

"Hey Lucas, I need to, uh, I need to talk to you," Peter calls, rapping at his dorm room door with his knuckles. God knows Lucas is still hot and heavy with Tanya, and the last thing Peter wants is to interrupt anyone doing anything personal. Tanya must be downstairs for evening rec still, though, because Peter hears Lucas mumble to himself under his breath and come to the door almost immediately. 

"What's up?" Lucas asks in his usual sleepy tone, and then he startles slightly, peering into Peter's eyes. "Shit, man. You okay? Come in."

Peter follows Lucas into his bedroom, cursing himself mentally for not being able to keep the stress of the last few days off his face. "I'm fine, it's just…"

Lucas waves his hand over the rest of the room, indicating for Peter to take a seat anywhere. The second bed is stripped and empty, which is what Peter was here for, but he's having a hard time coming up with the words. He'll just have to hope that Lucas has a sudden lack of curiosity, which seems un-fucking-likely, after what happened with Matt, and in play rehearsal today... 

"Connor moved away, right? He's not coming back?" Peter asks, referring to Lucas' old roommate, a decent, quiet guy. 

"Yeah, his family's moving to Cali and I guess he's going to a prep school out there," Lucas shrugs. "He was pissed that they moved in the middle of the semester, but it is what it is. He left the other day."

Peter's not sure how to lead up to it, so he just screws up his courage and asks. "Look, can I room with you the rest of the year?" 

Lucas sits up and makes eye contact with Peter. "You've lived with McConnell forever."

Peter nods. "Yeah."

"But you don't want to anymore."

"Not anymore, no," Peter admits, wondering how he's possibly going to explain this. 

"You guys aren't getting along," Lucas suggests, more than inquires, and Peter gets the impression Lucas is leading him, trying to make it as easy as possible for him. 

"That's right."

How all these years came down to  _ we just aren't getting along, _ Peter isn't sure, and his chest aches when he thinks about it. He's just gearing up to come up with some sort of excuse - because come on, even he can tell how flimsy and fake this sounds - when Lucas nods. "Yeah. Yeah, of course you can room with me." 

Peter is surprised at how easy this is. "I, uh, really?" 

Lucas shrugs. "You need a new room, my roommate just moved out. It's no big deal. Okay?" 

Peter is so relieved for a moment he's not sure what to say. He can't believe Lucas isn't pushing harder, interrogating him - but then again, Lucas has always had a weird sense for what people need, and he seems to know that whatever is going on, Peter doesn't want to discuss it. 

"So. When do you want to move your stuff?" Lucas asks. 

"As soon as possible," Peter says quickly. "Tonight." 

They make casual small talk a few more minutes, and then Peter stands to go, feeling awkward and grateful at the same time. He's not sure how to navigate this, but Lucas takes it with the same even temper that he takes everything else. 

"See you tonight," Lucas says casually, calmly, turning his attention to his cell phone. 

"Yeah. Hey, Lucas - " 

Lucas looks up, and their eyes meet, pained green and warm brown. "Thanks," Peter says softly.  _ Thanks for letting me stay. Thanks for not asking why. Thanks for -  _

" _ De nada _ ," Lucas answers simply, the only Spanish phrase he remembers after three years of classes. Whatever is going on, he can tell it's serious shit, and also not his business. 

Peter leaves the room quietly. He looks exhausted and stressed, but as he closes the door on Lucas, he realizes this, at least, is one weight off of him. 

He refuses to wake up every morning and pretend. Not in his own dorm. Even if Lucas doesn't know everything, at least he doesn't expect Peter to look him in the eye and lie. 

🖤

Peter never finds out that Lucas had just that day - the very day he walked in with red-rimmed eyes they both ignored - gotten a letter from the headmaster informing him that he had been assigned a new roommate, a mid semester transfer starting next week. Lucas hides the letter under some crumpled up papers in the trash, and Peter never discovers it, never knows that Lucas went down to the housing department in person and filled out form after form, gave bullshit reason after reason to the nun working there that day, refused to take no for an answer, until he could walk out of there confident that the new student would be reassigned somewhere else, that Peter could stay with him. 

Lucas doesn't pry. It's just not in his nature. But beneath his easy-going attitude and better-living-through-chemistry philosophy, he's been blessed with a fairly keen sense of intuition. Peter has been his friend since they first started there, and Lucas can tell that he needs a haven. Something has happened, something that changed Peter, and Lucas doesn't need to understand it. He doesn't need more than Peter wants to give, and Lucas makes sure he's there for him. He makes sure nobody ever discovers the lengths Lucas went to give him a safe place to stay. 

So Peter moves in. He and Lucas quickly and silently remove all of his belongings while Jason is at a debate club meeting, and if Lucas has any suspicions or curiosity behind what's going on, he doesn't seem to show it..

"What should we tell people when they ask why you moved in with me?" Lucas asks. It's night time, they're in their separate beds against opposite walls, and the way Lucas calls across the room to him - softly, in the black of night, makes Peter catch his breath in the dark at the memories it ignites. "I mean, do you want me to just tell people to mind their own business, or - "

"Tell them we had a fight," Peter suggests, his voice sounding more tired than it ever has. "And we're not getting along. Tell them...tell them that."

"All right," Lucas agrees, and he doesn't take it any farther.

He never asks again.


End file.
